Why do people underrate Tyson?

He definitely burned very bright for a very short time.

 

Azzer...leave it there...leave it right there my friend...you are spot on.
We finally agree 100%...!!
I'm happy with that summary.
I think (splitting) his career pre and post prison has lead us to agree on where the 'over rated' label actually could be apropriated.
I think you could add one or 2 to the 'intimadated' list...
Tony Tucker had a better chance than he gave himself ( suppose it depends on how much you believe about the broken hand)but seemed happy to survive...that's a form of being intimadated.
Tony Tubbs and Carl Williams both came out firing which was not their usual gameplan (i suspect that was out of fear).
Ps...Glad to see Tyrell wasn't on the list....ho ho..!

 

Overall I think he's rated fairly. Some are prone to 'hating' or overrating, but generally I think he gets his due.

One thing with Mike though, is that he came up short based on what was expected of him. Let's be honest here, he had everyone, even seasoned veterans of the fight game, thinking that he was basically unbeatable and that he would rule the division for 10 years.

In hindsight both were ridiculously high expectations, but he had that effect on people. For some 3-odd years, he really did seem just about untouchable.
While being youngest champ ever, unified and undisputed champ, 9 title defences, twice voted P4P best fighter in the sport etc. is hardly something to sneeze at, it still fell well short of what pretty much everyone thought he would accomplish.

What Red Cobra said earlier is true as well...that Buster gave such a hopeless effort against Holyfield it kind of had an effect on Tyson's legacy too.

But yeah, overall I think he's viewed accurately most the time.

 

I agree, but there was always a strong element of 'street hood' in Tyson. Even after winning the titles and living the high life, he would quite often go back to Brownsville and hang out in the seediest joints imaginable.
He associated with all of his old hoodlum pals still, and even they were saying stuff like 'Mike, what the hell are you doing here?" type of thing.

The **** he got up to whilst champ is pretty darn nasty and scary. I can't believe some of the risks he took, quiet ridiculous really. And he really didn't have to; he was a millionaire many times over and could quite easily never have gone back to his old stomping grounds, but he did so because that was where he felt most comfortable. Most get into the sport to escape the gutter they came from, but he often went right back there.
In a way, I respect that. He never forgot his roots or his old 'pals.'

 

Tyson definitely had a fear effect on opponents, but at the same time I can think of a few that gave a career-best performance against him too. Tucker and Buster come to mind. We must remember that although feared (to a point) anyone who beat Tyson would be catapulted into stardom.
I think it works both ways really. There was a hell of a price on Tyspn's head.
Look what Buster got paid against Holy...24 million or thereabouts. Staggering money for less than 9 minute's work.

I didn't see fear in guys like Berbick, Thomas, Biggs, Tucker, Ribalta etc. I think most latch onto how scared Spinks looked and how intimidated Bruno was, and make the association that all of his opponents were scared to death of him.
Some were, some weren't. Or at least, some made that fear work for them instead of against them.

 

I think Tyson had two very different careers

Pre prison, he was a great fighter, who worked his way up the hardway, learned his craft, earned his reputation, went through the correct lifecycle of newbie, prospect, champ, undisputed, GREAT, then ex champ, then path of redemption and thats where the story concluded......

Post Prison, he was a pure hypejob and a bully and possibly a cherrypicker, living off past glories and that caught up with him.

Holyfield exposed Tyson, not for being a poor fighter, but more for showing Tyson simply wasnt what he once was. The Bruno, Mcneeley, Seldon blowouts just sugar coated lots of ring rust and cracks. The boxing public ignored the fact that a D class fighter like Mcneely had Tyson pinned against the ropes for alot of the round, they forgot that Mathis made Tyson look like an amatuer with all his wild misses, they needed the 'old' Tyson because Bowe, Holyfield, Lewis, Foreman and the rest simply didnt capture the imagintion like Mike did.

The boxing public treated Tyson like the second coming of christ and placed him on a very high pedestal which set Tyson up for a huge fall, and then when they realised he wasnt what he once was (rather than he isnt what they thought he was), they kicked him to the kerb.

Look at Tysons pre and post prison records

41-1-0 and 11-5-2

Speaks volumes about where Tyson did the majority of his work.

 

He is a polarizing figure because of what a complete ass he was for most of his career and the way he threw his career away .. however, at his best, from Berbick to M. Spinks, he was one of the most talented and dangerous fighters that ever lived.

 

He really acted like an ass (publicly) post prison. Pre prison alot of his antics were hidden from the media.

An interesting point to note is (now i always say im going to start a thread on this but never do). Tyson didnt leave Rooney, Rooney left Tyson. A lot of people dont know that.

Before the Bruno fight Tyson 'suspended' Rooney for speaking out about his private life (Givens). The plan was to take Rooney back after a one match suspension. During this suspension however, Rooney sued Tyson and basically that ended everything and Tyson said screw you to Rooney and never looked back.

Sugar Ray said it best 'Mike Tyson in his prime.....was a killing machine'

 

They'll be talking about Tyson in 200 years time, any mug that reckens that Tyson is overated is a clown, in a perfect video game world Tyson would have ruled forever, but he is human, his life is well enough documented, young man with the world at his feet, all the riches/toys & women any man could ever dream about, how many times have we seen this in life as in other sporting superstars by comparison, life's history is littered by the bright comets who are brought down by their lifestyle's & surroundings. How many times have each & everyone of us said about a certain athlete/superstar, football/baseball whatever/whoever the man of the moment is, how many times have you thought, this is gonna end in tears!....How can you say an Undisputed Heavyweight Champion who has intimidated & wiped out a division be overated? ....fcuk off!

 

At the time of Tyson's ascent, boxing historian Hank Kaplan said he was the best heavyweight that ever lived.

 

You have idiots who rank him as high as number 3 and who think he could have beaten just about anybody head to head. You have others who don't even have him in their top 10 which is equally absurd. Having Tyson anywhere between about 6-9 and giving him a fair chance against about 90% of most all time greats is reasonable. But the man wouldn't have beaten EVERYBODY and he sure as hell isn't top five, nor is he SO terrible that he doesn't belong in the top 10.

 

He very well could have...

 

:good

 

The irony of Mike Tyson is this

He is severely overrated by casual fans and underrated by hardcore boxing fans at the same time.

 

What does it mean "greatest fights" ? What's the correct definition?
The Holyfield-Tyson 1 & 2 weren't undisputed title fights.
The Lewis-Tyson wasn't undisputed titlle fight.
The Tyson-Holmes and the Tyson-Spinks were undisputed title fights.
And Tyson destroyed Holmes and Spinks.
-What's wrong with Tyson?
Nothing. Everybody has opinion.Obviously the haters hate him the lovers like him.
-What's your opinion? I think other person's opinion is too important for you.
If you can enjoy his fights, this will be good for you.You're a sovereign person
with own thoughts.But big chance you can't convience the haters.